Gelatination of hydrocarbon distillates



I for heating purposes and the like.

Patent ed Aug. 14, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-"lcr.

GELA'I INATION OF HYDRQCARBON DISTILLATES William K. Griesinger, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to The Atlantic Refining Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Application August 25, 1943, Serial No. 500,187

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the gelatination or congelation of hydrocarbon distillates to produce solidified fuels suitable for use in incendiaries and The production of solidified fuels from normal] liquid hydrocarbon distillates by the incorporation therewith of fatty acid soaps such as sodium ,stearate has previously been. disclosed. I have now found that solidified fuels of superior characteristics may be prepared from hydrocarbon distillates by means of a gelling agent consistin of a solution of alkali Sulfonates and a basic material in water.

The alkali sulfonates employed in the preparation of my gelling agent. or solution are distinguished from other alkali sulfonatesin that they are relatively more soluble in water than in bydrocarbon oil. They may be produced through the neutralization of sulfonic acids extractable,-

as with benzol, from the separable sludge which develops when various hydrocarbon oils such as cracked petroleum distillates, coal tar distillates, etc., are subjected to treatment with fuming sulfuric acid or other sulfonating agent to remove undesirable constituents.

Normally liquid hydrocarbon distillates which may be solidified according to the invention include petroleum fractions such as naphtha, gasoline, benzine, kerosene, furnace oil, fuel oil, etc., the lighter fractions, particularly gasoline, being preferred. Since by my process I may effect the solidification of individual hydrocarbons as well as hydrocarbon fractions, the term hydrocarbon distillates as used herein and in the appended claims is intended as encompassing both individual hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon fracions.

the basic material thereafter added, or the basic material may be first dissolved in the water. If desired, instead of sulfonates, I may use sulfonic acids during the preparation of the solution as these would be immediately saponified by the alkali to give the Sulfonates. Where this practice is followed, it is essential to use an excess of the alkali over and above the amount required to effect the conversion, otherwise a stable gel will not result when the solution is subsequently used toeflect the solidification of a hydrocarbon distillate.

Although I have obtainedexcellent results with a solution which contained weight per cent Sulfonates and 10 weight per cent basic material,

'- these proportions are not critical. I consider the The basic material in my gelling agent is most suitably an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, but other'alkaline compounds, such as borax, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and dior trisodium phosphate may be employed ii desired.

Although my gelling agent may be made up to contain only a single alkali sulfonate, it is my practice to utilize the sulfonates' mentioned above obtained by theneutralization of sulfonic acids extracted from acid sludges, and these are available only in mixtures from which it would becommercially impractical to attempt the separation of an individual sulfonate. I especially prefer petroleum sulfonates, i. e., sulfonates derived from petroleumacid sludge.

In the preparation of the gelling agent, sulfonates may be dissolved in the water.

the

' gelling solution were derived from an acid sludge separated from a partially cracked gas oil frac- Water permissible limits to be as follows:

Per cent by weight 60 to 45 Sulfonates 10 to 40 Basic material 5 to 15 volumes of an aqueous solution containing 20,

per cent by weight of water-soluble petroleum sulfonates and 10 per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide, the mixin being accomplished by shaking the gasoline and aqueous solution at room temperature. The resulting product was a gel stable at temperatures up to 130 F. The petroleum sulfonates used in the preparation of the tion which had been treated with sulfuric acid.

The solidified hydrocarbon distillates produced in accordance with the invention are adapted for a variety of uses. They may, for example, be burned in the open or in a container or stove to provide heat as for cooking, or may be used V in lieu of liquid fuels in cigarette lighters and the like. In wartime they may be employed in the manufacture of incendiary bombs, being well and adapted for this purpose' I claim:

. 1. A process for producing a solidified fuel from a hydrocarbon distillate without the aid of a fatty acid soap which comprises mixing the distillate with from 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent by volume of an aqueous solution of water-soluble alkali metal petroleum sulfonates and an alkali metal hydroxide, said solution containing from 10 to 40 per cent by weight of petroleum sulfonateaand from to 15 per cent by weight of the alkali metal hydroxide.

2. A process for producing a solidified fuel which comprises agitating 98 parts by volume of a hydrocarbon distillate with two parts by volume of an aqueous solution containing 20 per cent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal petroleum sulfonates and per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide.

3. A process for producing a solidified fuel which comprises agitating 98 parts by volume of gasoline with 2 parts by volume of an aqueous solution containing 20 per cent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal petroleum sulfonates and 10 per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide, said petroleum sulfonates having been obtained by the neutralization of sulfonic acidsderived from an acid sludge produced by the treatment of a partially cracked gas oil fraction with a sulfonating agent.

4. A solidified fuel comprising a hydrocarbon distillate and from 0.5 to 10 per cent by volume of a gelling agent containing from 10 to 40 per cent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal petroleum sulfonates, 5 to per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide, and 45 to 65 per cent by weight of water, said solidified fuel acid soaps.

5. A solidified fuel comprising 98' parts by volume of gasoline and about 2-parts by 'volume of a gelling agent containing 20 per cent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal petroleum sulfonates, 10 per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide, and 70 per cent by weight of water.

6. A process for producing a solidified fuel from a hydrocarbon distillate without the aid of a fatty acid soap which comprises mixing the distillate with from 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent by volume of an aqueous solution of water-soluble alkali metal hydrocarbon sulfonates and an alkali metal hydroxide, said solution containing from 10 to 40 per cent'by weight of hydrocarbon sulfonates, and from 5 to 15 per cent by weight of the alkali metal hydroxide.

7. A process for producing a solidified fuel which comprises agitating 98 parts by volume of a hydrocarbon distillate with two parts by volume of an aqueous solution containing 20 percent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal hydrocarbon sulfonates and 10 per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide.

8. A solidified fuel comprising a hydrocarbon distillate and from 0.5 to 10 per cent by volume of a gelling agent containing from 10 to 40 per cent by weight of water-soluble alkali metal hydrocarbon sulfonates, 5 to 15 per cent by weight of sodium hydroxide, and to per cent by weight of water, said solidified fuel being free of fatty acidsoaps.

WILLIAM K. GRIESINGER.

being free of fatty CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,582,1hlp. August 1h, 19LL5,

WILLIAM K. GRIESINGER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column, line 19, for '60 to 14.5" read 65 to L,L5--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read wi th this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office Signed and sealed this Lith day of December, A. D. 1914.5.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) First Assistant Commissioner of Patents CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,582,1ML. August 14, 19L 5,

WILLIAM K. GRIESINGERe It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column, line 19, for 60 to 1;.5" read 65 to A5"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read wi th this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this L .th day er December, A. D. 19Lp5.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) First Assistant Commissioner of Patents 

